Review: Next up on Laurent Garnier's label is a split release that explores the deeper end of house and techno. DJ Deep is up first with "What's Going On". Powered by raw, tribal beats and featuring lush pads, it sounds like the veteran house head's tribute to Joe Clausell's organic sound. Avision's "Hold No Groove" is also inspired by house music, but on this occasion, Chicago rather than New York is referenced. Combining a snaking bass with busy, layered percussion, the result is mesmerising. Deetron ups the tempo but maintains a deep sound on "Pulse", its musical but insistent rhythm recalls classic Kenny Larkin.
Review: Following chart-topping mixes from Henry Saiz and Tim Green in 2023, Balance presents a new compilation curated by two masters of their craft: the great Dave Seaman and Quivver. Seamlessly blending style and substance, this release showcases their collaborative effort in reaching out to a diverse array of producer friends & associates - taking in exclusives, classics and fresh bangers from the likes of Robert Babicz, Underworld, Aikon and Timo Mass remixes - not mention the dudes themselves via five collaborative productions. Balance, keeping it tilt!
Review: While he never went away, it would be fair to say that DJ Sneak has enjoyed something of a career revival of late. This EP for Phonogramme follows strong recent outings for Heist Recordings, Hard Times and Toy Tonics. He begins in pleasingly bouncy and percussive mode on 'Let It Go', where warming stabs and hushed melodic motifs rise above a Kenny Dope style bumpin' house beat and deep, rich bass, before opting for a wonky, mind-mangling sound on title track 'Galactic Funk'. The Chicago veteran then gives it to us 'Soft & Ruff' - think rolling, locked-in grooves and slowly evolving melodic loops - while closing cut 'Crashin' Out' is a suitably sub-heavy slab of deep loop-house headiness.
Review: In keeping with the approach of its predecessors, the fourth annual Boogie Angst compilation brings together "cool cuts" from the past year and a smattering of exclusives and previously unreleased gems. As you'd expect from a label helmed by Kraak & Smaak, it's a genuinely joyous and celebratory affair, packed to the rafters with party-starting workouts. For proof, check the revivalist disco-boogie cheeriness of Titeknots' 'Feels Good 2 Me', the future soul shuffle of 'Treat U Good' by Moods, Noah Slee, Lyriya & Meron, the summery electrofunk sunshine that is Art of Tones' kaleidoscopic rework of LUXXURY's 'Just Like It Was Before', the Rhodes-laden warmth of Kraak & Smaak's nostalgic 'All I Need' and the spiritually-enriching Latin deep house shuffle of Osunlade's Yoruba Soul rework of his Casbah 73 collaboration, 'Let's Invade The Amazon'.
Review: Reel People Music's annual Soulful, Deep & Dope compilations always deliver exactly what the title promises, namely club-focused jams of the most positive, musically expansive and spiritually enriching kind. This year's edition is a particularly potent collection, with 20 tried-and-tested tracks to devour. Highlights are naturally plentiful, from the tech-tinged deep house soulfulness of Mark Francis's remix of Opolopo and Angela Johnson's 'Stay This Way', and Glenn Underground's wonderfully musically expansive revision of Harold Matthews Jr and Sean McCabe's 'This Place', to the sunset-ready wonder of Matthew Brandy's 'Wish' (featuring an impeccable vocal performance by Josh Milan) and the soulful deep house brilliance of Atjazz and Shea Soul's inspired 'Home'.
Review: Tal Fussman emerges on Drumpoert and to house music at large as a young artist poised to make waves on deepr house inspired dancefloors. With releases on prestigious labels like Innervisions and his own Survival Tactics, Fussman's innovative productions skirt at the borders of techno and house. His latest offering for Drumpoet takes off with something of a futuristic house anthem in "It's Alright" before moving on to the break-beat influenced "Focus". Tracks like "Don't Want To" and "Into the Chamber" drive the EP into tribal and straight-up dancefloor vibes, while "Goal" and "Will Fade" explore emotive and experimental soundscapes. The Fuss!
Review: Billed as a "tribute to the forgotten late '80s/early '90s era of Bhangra influenced by house, dub and hip-hop", this expansive collection boasts fresh remixes of tracks from Manjeet Kondal's 1986 album 'Holle Holle', and a fresh cut featuring vocal samples from that set. Mr Scruff steps up to provide the remixes, offering four passes on 'Ishkaan de Mamie': a deliciously jacking, proto house-meets-acid house full vocal remix that lasts for just a shade under 10 mesmerising minutes, a sleazy and percussive 'Instrumental Dub', an alternative 'Vocal Strip Down' take with added TB-303 tweaks, and a tidy 'Edit'. Turbotito and Ragz deliver 'Pyaar', a brilliant slab of late '80s style Bhangra/hip-hop fusion with added acid lines. The 'Lovey Dubby Dub' is a sensational alternative pass that's arguably better than the duo's original mix.
Review: Constant Sound is back with more of its constantly good sonics, this time from Dennis Quin who offers up a potent blend of raw minimal, tech and house. 'My Belief' is the sort of cut to get clubs marching as one to the jacked-up drums and whirring synth motifs. 'Hear Dis' has plenty of infectious garage skip to it and 'Eighty Four' layers up slick percussion with bumping drum funk and some nice exotic vocal samples. There will be an all-out party whenever 'Call For House' gets dropped with its wild synth lines and yelling vocals perfect for amping up the crowd.
Review: As always, the Time Is Now banner is riding high with this top quality six track collection from Nitework providing all the energy a dancefloor needs. We open up with the old school vocal & chord combinations of 'Desire', before the choppy vocal melodic grooves of 'Be There' and colliding percussive underbellies of 'This Ain't Love' take the lead role. Next, a more stripped back outing as 'Lose Control' gives us a moogy drift of a bassline to play with, with the glittering synth work of 'All Night' then arriving for an additional punch of nostalgia. Finally, 'Falling' gives us a killer closer, rounding off this top quality collection with more vocal chopping magic.
Review: Award-nominated British producers Dave Whelan and Mike Di Scala, better known as Camelphat, showcase yet more growth since their last album Spiritual Milk that was filled with emotive lyrics, serene ambient sounds, and infectious basslines. This remix album however opens with a Fideles mix that gets drummy and percussive and very reminiscent to Plastikman's legendary "Spastilk". Oostil throws down an EDM inspired tech house banger mix of "In Your Eyes", while Tigerblind looks to old school rave and hardcore in its remix of "Compute". Lastly Dorian Kraft goes deep and progressive in his mix to "Embers". Keep chewing the Camelphat.
Review: As the matter-or-fact title makes clear, this expansive affair brings together a wealth of tracks from two of Luv Shack's most prolific and consistent artists, Jakobin and ROCTIV. The former steps up first with a trio of tracks. Of these, it's opener 'Drawan' - a deliciously trippy and mind-mangling slab of psychedelic house rich in TB-303 acid bass, fizzing electronics and ghostly chords - that most impresses, though IDM-goes-breakbeat bubbler 'Skulpt' and the deep and trippy 'Octagonal Tribe' are also excellent. ROCTIV drops four tracks, flitting between bass-heavy, acid-flecked breakbeat ('Frenezy', 'Living Art'), re-born early 90s progressive house/nu-disco fusion ('No More Room In Hell') and sub-heavy psychedelic sleaziness ('The Confidence').
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